Chapter 28

Book:Under Mafia Protection Published:2025-2-23

Mena
The day had passed, it was night, and I found myself in the bedroom, in the same arrangement as back in the Fanucci mansion.
Alessio lounged on the sofa, while I lay in the bed, and as usual it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
“We’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow,” Alessio broke the silence. His voice was casual, as if he was discussing the weather.
“Okay,” I answered.
I wanted to talk more, to somehow end this unspoken thing between us, but the words just wouldn’t come out. I even wanted to tell him we could just share the bed, I wouldn’t even mind-but the thought of his rejection kept me quiet.
“They are nice people,” I tried to keep the conversation going.
Alessio’s response caught me off guard. “Are you sure? Because you looked like you needed saving from the daughter.”
I thought of Pilar and her endless chatter at dinner. She did talk a lot, but there was something sweet and kind about it. “She talks a lot, but she’s nice,” I said.
What I really wanted to do was call him out for noticing he had been staring at her before.
Silence fell over the room again, and I knew I should ask him about sharing the bed before it got too late, but the words could still not leave my mouth.
“Do you-”
“Have you-” Alessio spoke at the same time.
“You go first,” I offered, eager to hear what he had to say.
“No, you go,” he insisted.
“It was nothing important, really,” I told him, feeling my cheeks warm with embarrassment. That was my one shot to ask him, and now I didn’t have the guts to do it anymore.
“Have you thought about tomorrow?” Alessio finished his sentence.
I hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yes, I would love to…do something with you.”
Alessio chuckled as a breath escaped from his lips. “Why are you being weird again? I thought we were past that.”
“No, I’m not-I’m not being weird,” I protested, defensively. “So, what are we doing tomorrow?”
“I was thinking dinner,” he suggested.
“Sure, dinner sounds nice,” I agreed, feeling a bit relieved it would be something as simple as eating, and nothing out of the ordinary. Bringing the spoon to my mouth and chewing seemed like the right option.
When he didn’t say anything in return, I took that as a sign not to talk anymore as he was probably tired. I turned over, settling into the bed before slowly drifting off to sleep.
~
After a productive day of lounging by the pool with Pilar, Naty, and the children, the sun had set and I found myself at the mall with Pilar. She had dragged me out for a shopping spree to find something suitable for tonight’s dinner with Alessio-and took me to a boutique.
The shop screamed luxury, and it was not that different from where I had brought Naty’s dress. One could tell that only people like Pilar and such were welcome, because the employees catered to people basen on their status and health.
I stood in front of the mirror in the changing room, turning in my fourth dress. Pilar managed to pull disgusted faces at every single one, but I was sure that this dress would be it.
It was a short, black, designer dress with a big bow at the back. Normally, it would be out of my comfort zone-but for this time a smile crept on my face as I looked at my reflection. It had been ages since I had dressed up like this, and the feeling was refreshing.
I wasn’t always like this. I used to enjoy my night off with friends, even after Naty was just born. Unfortunately those days came to an end when Anson criticized my choice of clothes, accusing me of enjoying dressing like a ‘slut’ to hit on other men, while he was ‘providing’ for our family.
I sighed, pushing those dark thoughts away, and stepped out of the changing room, giving a twirl for Pilar’s approval.
“Yes, this is it!” Pilar exclaimed, clapping her hands. “You look…perfect!”
“Thank you,” I gave her another twirl.
“Now we only need herls, a matching bag, visit a hairstylist, and do your makeup!”
“What?” I blurted out, stunned. This was supposed to be just a simple dinner, not a red-carpet event.
“How much time do we have?” Pilar asked.
I checked the clock on the wall. “About four hours left.”
Pilar nodded determinedly. “Then we need to move quickly.”
~
We had managed to find a matching pair of shoes, and bag. For my hair, Pilar had managed to book an appointment with one of her friends, James.
As I sat into the chair, he began running his fingers through my hair. His frown of disapproval showed that he was not happy with whatever was going on, on my head.
“When was the last time you got a haircut?” James asked.
“Oh, well…uh,” I struggled for an answer. It had been years. My hair, which was always in a ponytail, had been past my hips for as long I could remember.
Anson had told me that was the way he liked his women, and I obeyed without question, in an effort to please him.
“I think the last time was like ten years ago,” I finally admitted.
“So James, can you fix it or not?” Pilar moved around, impatiently.
James nodded his head as he made an imaginary cutting motion with his hands just under my shoulders. “Everything below this is dead. It’s gotta go.”
I swallowed hard, accepting his words. Cutting off more than half of my hair felt terrifying.
“And,” James wasn’t finished talking. “I think we should go honey blonde. It’ll make your features pop out.”
“Exactly what I was thinking!” Pilar agreed.
I hesitated, touching my dark locks that had never been dyed. I had definitely thought about doing it before but never went through with it because Anson told me not to.
It had always been like that.
Now that I was thinking it through, Anson had always had control over every little aspect of my life.
A change might be exactly what I needed.
“Let’s do it,” I smiled. “Whatever you’ve got planned…let’s do it.”
An hour later I looked into the mirror, barely recognizing the woman staring back at me. The long dark brown hair I carried for ages was now shorter and a honey blonde shade.
To top it off, James had also applied makeup on my face.
“I look different” I murmured, surprised.
Pilar, who had been anxiously watching my reaction, let out a worried sigh. “Oh no…”
“No, I mean-in a good way… I like it,” I quickly reassured her.
She hugged me from behind. “She likes it!” Pilar sang asked, her voice filled with excitement.
I nodded, still admiring the reflection. “I really do.”
Pilar glanced at her watch and gently pulled me from the chair. “Okay, how much time do we have?”
“An hour,” I responded, checking the time myself.
“James, we’re going to change in the back!” she said, pushing me away.
After getting dressed, we drove back to the mansion and arrived with just two minutes to spare. As I stepped through the door, Naty came running down as if she had been waiting for me.
“Mommy!” She gasped, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. “Wow, mommy, you look like an angel!”
She definitely knew her way with compliments. Touched by her reaction, I stroke her hair affectionately. “Thank you, baby.”
“B-But Mommy, can we dye my hair?” Naty asked with hopeful eyes, digging her fingers into my arm.
“No, maybe when you’re older?”
Naty pouted, “Aw.”
Pilar tapped her finger on her wrist, reminding me of the time. I had agreed to meet Alessio down here, and by now he could arrive at any second.
Luckily Pilar agreed to watch Naty until all the children would fall asleep. There were also nannies who supervised the children at all time, but I trusted Pilar.
“Naty, how about I ask one of the maids to help you and the triplets bake a cake while mommy goes out?”
Naty’s disappointment vanished, replaced by a big smile. “Yes!” she cheered. “Let’s go get them!”
As she walked away with Pilar, she looked back at me one last time. “Have fun, mommy!” she called out.
“You too!”
Standing alone in the hall, I had the time to think about how much I had changed in just a few hours. Not just in appearance, but in spirit too. I felt lighter, happier, alive.
I had never noticed just how much I missed the presence of a friend after moving away. If only I could put Pilar in my suitcase and take her with me. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with the Fanuccis all the time.
I fiddled with the ends of my dress, my mind going back to Alessio. Since I was in a good mood, I would try to just be Mena tonight. The real me.
Outgoing, talkative, curious-Mena.
Hearing Alessio say that he treated others how they treated him gave me hope that we could get along as friends at least.
I heard the sound of approaching footsteps and looked up. My heart skipped a beat as Alessio revealed himself. He was dressed in some nice pants, a long-sleeved black button up, and I released a breath, silently thanking god that I hadn’t overdressed.
He stopped right in front of me, looking every bit as handsome as I had expected him to be. His brown eyes didn’t leave mine for a second, until he had inspected every detail of my face.
Then his eyes traveled up and down, eyeing my transformed appearance.
I held my breath, waiting for some kind of reaction-but as usual, his expression was unreadable. He did squint his eyes, as if he was trying to crack a code, but that was all.
Did he disapprove?
Maybe he was like Anson, and didn’t want me to change?
For each second he wouldn’t give me w reaction, I kept filling myself with those negative thoughts.
“Let’s go, we’re running late,” Alessio finally said, breaking the silence.
He turned to leave, but this time I couldn’t let it go. This time I wouldn’t let him treat me like this, only to pretend as if I were the problem. “Wait!” I called out with a loud voice.
Alessio paused and turned back, smirking. “Yes?”
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” I touched my hair, hoping for some acknowledgment of my efforts.
“About?” He asked.
“About?” I repeated in a stunned tone.
Alessio frowned, the same smirk still visible on his lips. “Your new necklace matches your ring.” he chose to focus on the new piece of jewelry, and the engagement instead.
By the smile he carried, it was as clear as day that he was enjoying all of this. “Now, let’s go. I’m hungry.”